Monday 3 February 2014

New UK Guidance On Working At Height

A brief guide' can be accessed free of charge on line, is significantly simpler to understand and makes it very clear what anyone who works at height or their employers, need to do to properly plan any work at height and dispels a number of classic myths.
http://www.vertikal.net/en/news/story/19310/
New guidance on working at height: The UK HSE has published its new guidance to working at height, including two new concise, easy to read guide books. The launch of this new guidance is pitched by the UK government as a significant step towards reducing red tape, but this is something of a myth as there are no legal changes to what is effectively European wide working at height legislation. However this does not detract from what are major improvements.

The new guides' Work at height - A brief guide' and 'Safe use of ladders - A brief guide' can be accessed free of charge on line, is significantly simpler to understand and makes it very clear what anyone who works at height or their employers, need to do to properly plan any work at height and dispels a number of classic myths.

The HSE summarises the new guidance as:
  • Providing simple advice about do's and don'ts when working at height to ensure people are clear on what the law requires
  • Busting some of the persistent myths about health and safety law, such as the banning of ladders when they can still be used 
  • Offering targeted advice to helping business in different sectors manage serious risks sensibly and proportionately 
  • Helping workers to be clearer about their own responsibilities for working safely.
Click to enlarge.
Printed versions of the two publications are also available for a small fee and can be ordered online, they are hosted on an improved working at height web page which is an excellent source for anyone who works at height. The guides are clearly visible but if you prefer click here to go directly to Work at height - 'A brief guide' and here for 'Safe use of ladders - A brief guide.'

Click to go directly to the guides section of the library
HSE chairman Judith Hackitt said: "It is important to get working at height right. Falls remain one of the biggest causes of serious workplace injury - with more than 40 people killed and 4,000 suffering major injuries every year. We have a sensible set of regulations and have been working with business to improve our guidance - making it simpler and clearer and dispelling some of the persistent myths about what the law requires."

"The result is advice that employers can count on to help them manage their businesses sensibly and proportionately. The need to ensure people understand what the law requires was identified in the independent review of health and safety regulation undertaken by Professor Ragnar L￶fstedt, and this proposal has been developed through the Red Tape Challenge."

For more health & safety guidance forms for window cleaners go here.

1 comment:

Dangerous Dave said...

The ladders are not set properly...It should either be at the base of the window with a stabilizer bar,so the whole window can be cleaned in one ladder set safely, or if the ladder is tall enough,to place it above the window at the center of the window without the stabilizer. Another ladder to use is the pointed ladder or pointed sectional ladder,and if they are long enough above, or if not, with the point on the window frame corner, or even with a stabilizer to place at the base of the window.

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